In 2021, state lawmakers required all Iowa students to recite the pledge of allegiance at school. Now, some Iowa House Republicans want to take that a step further and require students to study and sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” House Study Bill 587 would require all public school students and teachers to sing at least one verse of the national anthem every day. There is an option to opt out, but everyone would still be required to stand.
If a teacher does not want to sing the national anthem, they would be required to find someone else to lead their class in singing it.
If you were a bit confused about the “enlarge our territory” part, it’s from the prayer of Jabez which was extremely popular about 20 years ago.
Last March: Activist David Barton advises a crowd in North Texas—including the school board president in Southlake—to restore Christian prayer at school events in the hopes of drawing a lawsuit.
This week in Southlake: "Oh Lord … enlarge our territory … in Jesus name, amen." pic.twitter.com/tlV1jVB4b4
I wish I could embed this video, but the Twitter account owner has enabled the settings that don’t allow it. However, this man and his wife get out of their minivan, insult the driver, and reach inside in an attempt to grab his phone.
But I bet he wasn’t counting on the driver to be the size of a mountain.
As the man cowers away, his sons thank the mountain for not squashing their idiot father.
Posted inPersonal|Comments Off on Bag of Randomness for Friday, January 26, 2024
The comedian, who during his 16-year run as host of the Comedy Central program established it as an entertainment and cultural force, will return to host the show each week on Mondays starting February 12, Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios announced Wednesday. Stewart, who returns as the 2024 presidential election season heats up, will also executive produce the show and work with a rotating line-up of comedians who will helm the program the rest of the week, Tuesdays through Thursdays.
If I were Barron Trump, for Halloween, I’d just wear a red shirt with the “The” on the front and be the Red Barron.
I remember thinking ill of Pete Carroll when he left USC for the Seattle Seahawks. At the time, it appeared USC was about to be penalized for things he was responsible for and he left before they could be enforced, leaving his successor to deal with the ramifications. I feel like that’s what Jim Harbaugh is doing to Michigan.
Here’s one way to look at how college football has changed. Michigan, the national champs, will lose the following starters (and that’s before any portal departures):
• Starting QB • Leading Rusher • Leading Receiver • Starting LT • Starting LG • Starting C • Starting RG • Starting RT • Leading tackler (LB) • Starting DT • Starting EDGE • Starting EDGE • Starting WILL • Starting CB • Starting Nickel
When was the last time the Ravens hosted the AFC Championship game? Per Peter King, not since the very first AFC Championship game.
So now the Ravens move on to host the first AFC Championship Game in the city since, well, the first AFC Championship Game. True fact. The AFL and NFL merged in 1970, birthing the AFC and NFC. And in January 1971, John Madden brought his Raiders to Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium to play the Colts … and the Indianapolis Colts weren’t a gleam in anyone’s eye back then. Baltimore 27, Oakland 17, with one TD pass by the great Johnny Unitas. To Ray Perkins
Barry, over at LiberallyLean.com, posted this Gallup chart which really bugs me. The negative numbers are literally in the green. Green is typically used to promote growth and things in the positive. Damn media.
I sense the discussion in the country is shifting from who will win in November to how we will protect democracy and voting from a candidate who is at war with the country.
Our governor, or someone running his social media, decided to reply to a tweet that they thought belonged to an actor, but it’s a parody account (that last name is the car company, and on the owner’s profile page claims to be from pretend city Parody, TX), one I’ve been following for a while.
Since I mentioned that Twitter account, let me post something from it. Trump’s lawyer told the judge she was sick, so the trial got delayed, yet she was spotted at a Trump victory party because that kid posted a picture he took with her. That kid is learning a hard lesson many folks in Trump’s first (and hopefully only) administration learned the hard way. A top three rule in politics is, you gotta ask, what have you done for me lately?
Hilarious. Trump abruptly fired this kid because he posted a photo of Alina Habba attending the party when she told the judge she was too sick to be in court. Cry harder MAGAT https://t.co/IP95Ivpaxg
I’ve felt like this election cycle is going by pretty fast for the Republicans to find their presidential nominee, that 2024 is seeing a faster dropoff than in previous election cycles. It turns out I’m right, and this article has a chart, though not a great one, that compares this election cycle with previous ones.
Charles Osgood died earlier this week. He was a great host of CBS Sunday Morning and brought a grandfatherly charm. The ex and I discovered the program, which I like to describe as NPR for television, at the start of our marriage. I was tempted to send her a text about him, but that’s a boundary she made clear. But I miss the little stuff like that which comes in a relationship, and I wonder and hope that I can have something like that again. Oh, and copulation.
I don’t remember if I mentioned this or not, but one of my recent dates told me how excited she was that in a few months, she was going to become a grandmother. While I was happy for her, that was an instant turnoff. I don’t want to have a grandma girlfriend. My kids are still relatively young, they aren’t even in high school. Realizing people around my age (48) are becoming grandparents is a bit jarring, a huge coming-of-age moment. Speaking of coming-of-age moments, Tiffani Thiessen celebrated her 50th birthday this week by posting this on Instagram.
When I had disposable income, Woot.com was the fifth website I would visit as part of my morning routine. I’ve always appreciated their creative and quirky sense of humor. For instance, I saw something called the “Pointless Price” and wondered what that was.
Yesterday’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not stated that Chopin, who is Polish but died in France, was buried in that country with a small urn of Polish soil that he kept. That reminded me of one of my history lessons in junior high. Someone, but I can’t remember who had his heart removed and buried in another country. It involved the U.S. Sounds like something Lafayette would have done, but I couldn’t find a record of it. However, this was the first time I heard of the practice but it made an impression on me. I did a little research and found heart burial was not uncommon, as it was easier and less smelly than transporting an entire body (usually a soldier). Interestingly, Chopin did this, which made me think Ripley’s led with the wrong story. Even though I couldn’t find the person I was looking for, I ran across articles from Atlas Obscura and Mental Floss about famous people who had it done. This little nugget about Thomas Hardy stood out, “A persistent, but unproven, story has it that a cat ate part of the heart when the doctor who was removing it got distracted; a gruesome addendum says the animal was killed and buried alongside the organ.“
I think my next dog will be named Lafayette, and I hope I don’t have to make that decision for a very long time.
Random memory: Those commercials in which luggage was tested by a gorilla.
I knew 49’ers head coach Kyle Shanahan played football at the University of Texas and Lions head coach Dan Campell played at aTm. But I wasn’t sure if their time overlapped. I bring this up because their teams will be playing each other in the NFC Championship. Shanahan’s time was from 1999–2002 1995–1998.
A Kansas City and Detroit Super Bowl would pit Taylor Swift against Eminem. If this happens, move Usher to next year for the halftime entertainment and have Swift and Eminem perform.
Can you imagine how many people would lose it if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl and Taylor Swift gets a ring?
What I wouldn’t give to have a friend (preferably a girl) support me in something I enjoy doing as much as Taylor Swift supports Travis Kelce. It must be nice to be rich and powerful enough to be able to go to any NFL game you want and watch it from the suites.
I had a pastor friend get upset when Adam Levine tore his shirt off at a Super Bowl halftime performance. But, I bet he got a good laugh and was totally okay with the elder Kelce being shirtless. It’s a world of double standards, and I understand and accept it.
Patrick Mahomes has been a starter for six years and will now play in his sixth AFC Championship. That’s a crazy stat. Overall, I know he’s a good dude, but I’m already sick of him.
I only caught the end of the Green Bay and San Francisco game. It looked competitive but what caught my attention was the weather. Apparently, it was pouring the whole game. I couldn’t help but think what the game would have looked like if played at Candlestick Park on a muddy field. Man, I miss games like that.
Winter night games played in Buffalo sure are fun to watch.
People often reference a football field to make a large-size comparison, but it’s funny how it’s often a game of inches. I thought about that after a few goal-line plays had to be reviewed.
With the families’ blessing, I would like to see AI used to create a John Madden and Pat Summerall broadcasting team. I bet it could be done. James Earl Jones gave permission for his voice by Disney for Star Wars stuff, and an AI was used in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series to recreate his voice.
If I were advising the Atlanta Falcons, I’d advise them to hire Harbaugh over Belichick. You gotta think what’s best for the team longterm.
I went on a date Saturday night with a girl my age who grew up in Denton to watch the Von Erich brothers movie, The Iron Claw. I’m glad we watched it at the Alamo Draft House. Before the film, they showed old wrestling footage of the of the brothers and their father wrestling. Man, that brought back a lot of memories. Overall, I liked the movie, especially because of the local coponent. It could have been polished in a few places. It’s one of those movies where you smile a lot in the beginning because of all of nostalgia, and you leave sad at the end of it because of the nostalgia.
Lily James is in the film. I always confuse her for Lily Collins. As long time readers know, I’m a big fan of her father, Phil. Both are the same age, played a Disney princess, have brown hair, from England, and are mediocre kissers.
I went on a lunch date with a different girl after church on Sunday. She was grew up on the East Coast. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant. At the end of our meal, our waitress boxed up the food we didn’t finish and started to place the items in a single bag when I said, “Oh, we’re not going home together.” The waitress and my date made eye contact with each other, and after a tiny moment of silence smiled. My date broke the silence by saying, “He said that as if he’s not getting lucky later this afternoon.” They laughed. I blushed. I don’t think I got lucky.
Sure, I go on a bunch of dates, but I rather be in a committed relationship. I miss having a best friend and someone to list as my emergency contact.
Jerry Jones is often villified, but he and the Cowboys recently did a kind thing.
Sharing this Facebook post from #Cowboys fan Timothy Washington, who took his father to see the Cowboys vs. Commanders, their first game. Unfortunately the father collapsed and died 100 yards from the stadium. Jerry Jones sent flowers and a handwritten note to a man he never met. pic.twitter.com/AKQ5pByseR
Rushing the field or the court is something I never liked about college sports. It's simply a safety issue. And, as I tell my kids, safety first. pic.twitter.com/XUdWmk6zxt
